CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Evgeni Malkin said he will play for the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS).
"Oh yeah, 100 percent," the 38-year-old center said Wednesday. "Yeah, Saturday, for sure."
Malkin has missed 10 of 16 games, the past six with a lower-body injury and four from Jan. 7-12 with an upper-body injury. He could have returned for a 3-2 win at the New York Rangers on Feb. 7 but was held out for precautionary reasons. He skated at first-line center Tuesday and Wednesday and will go back to the second line once Sidney Crosby returns from the 4 Nations Face-Off.
"I [expected] to play in the last game against the Rangers," Malkin said, "but, like, it's a little bit dangerous and I know we [had] 10 days of a break. It helped to recover 100 percent."
Crosby and Canada will play the United States in the 4 Nations championship game at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; Disney+, ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS).
Malkin is fifth on the Penguins with 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) in 47 games after playing a full 82 games each of the previous two seasons. He has three points (one goal, two assists) in his past nine games, four goals in 31 games since Nov. 11 and averaging 0.72 points per game in his 19th NHL season, on pace for the lowest in his NHL career.
Bryan Rust also said he expects to play Saturday. The forward missed a 3-2 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 8 with a lower-body injury and has 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) in 48 games, third on the Penguins behind Crosby (58 points) and Rickard Rakell (48).
Pittsburgh (23-25-9) is tied with Philadelphia for last in the Metropolitan Division and six points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. It has missed the playoffs the past two seasons after qualifying each of the previous 16.
Malkin said he's been part of the problem.
"Up and down," he said. "Me and [the] team [are] a little bit in trouble," Malkin said. "If [the] team plays good, everybody plays good. It's the rules. Washington plays good, (Alex Ovechkin) plays good. It's connected to each other. Of course, I [do] not feel great about my season and team, but still, it's not over."
Rust doesn't see reason to doubt Malkin, who helped him win the Stanley Cup twice in his first three seasons. Malkin was 29 and 30 during those 2016 and 2017 runs. Rust, though, said there isn't much difference between him then and now.
"Not a ton," Rust said. "He's a guy who thrives with a little bit of space and he thrives with the puck on his stick. He can still make amazing things happen. He can make amazing plays, score goals. ... And I think guys who are on the ice with him just kind of create as much space for him [as they can], and he's going to do a lot of really good things out there."
The Penguins could use the boost. They've won consecutive games once since Dec. 20, 3-2 in overtime at the Utah Hockey Club on Jan. 29 and 3-0 against the Nashville Predators in Pittsburgh on Feb. 1.
If they are to get where Malkin would like, he knows that won't be enough.
"We have 25 games left. Everything can change quick," Malkin said. "If we win two, three, four games and make [the] playoffs, maybe I score, one, two, three goals and we see after [the] season. Now, it's a little bit early to talk about [the] season and my game, but I hope everything [will] change."
